.58 



N^W ENGLAND I ARMEii, 



SEPTEMBER 3, 1S34. 



From Cite N. y. Conunerci'tl Advertiser. 

 IMPORTEO HORNED CATTLE. 



A FEW days since we attenileil, upon invitation, 

 llie private exiiiliition of a lienl of full blooded 

 English cattle, just imported, and destined to graze 

 tipon tlie rich prairies of the Scioto. Our highest 

 expectations were realizad — for it may well adiuit 

 of douht whether the animals who cropped the 

 lierhage of the rich plains of Judea, some three 

 thousand years ago, surpassed in beauty, according 

 •to the most approved standards of agricultural taste, 

 the bevy of cornuted animals to which we allude, 

 from the other siile of the Atlantic. They were 

 imported nnder the auspices of a society establish- 

 ed in the State of Ohio, for the furtherance of agri- 

 cultural improvement. 



It seems that at the " Agricultural Fair and Cat- 

 tle Show of Ross County Agricultural Society," 

 held in Chilicotho, in October last, a discussion 

 was had upon the expediency of forming an asso- 

 ciation for the purpose of introducing English cat- 

 tle in this country by direct importation. The 

 proposition was favorably received ; and tho requi- 

 site funds to justify the undertaking were, in a few 

 hours, subscribed. A meeting was subsequently 

 called, and an association organized to carry it into 

 effect. After some deliberation, it was resolved to 

 empower the President and Directors to employ 

 an agent or agents for tho purpose, with liberty to 

 control and distribute the funds according to their 

 best judgment and discretion. But, previous to 

 any definitive action on the subject, letters were 

 written to the lion. Henry Clay, and other distin- 

 guished individuals, soliciting their opinions upon 

 the course most proper to be pursued. They 

 united in recommending that an intelligent agent 

 be appointed to repair to England, and make the 

 proper selections. This advica was followed, and 

 Mr. Felix Rknick was ajjpointed to the trust, to 

 be accompanied by one or two young men as his 

 assistants. 



They left Chilicothe in January last — embark- 

 ed in this city in February, and arrived at Liver- 

 pool on the 24tli of March. After arranging their 

 money transactions, they proceeded to the interior 

 and visited most of the agricultural districts cele- 

 brated for raising fine cattle. 



It may be proper, in an article of this sort, de- 

 signed especially for our agricultural reStlors, to re- 

 late the observations made by our western farmers 

 upon the various races of cattle they examined in 

 different parts of England. 



They were at one time highly jilcased with the 

 long liorn or Lancashire breed, distinguished 

 from all others by the length of their horns, the 

 thickness ami firm texture of their hides, close 

 liair, large hoofs, with coarse, leathery thick necks, 

 ■and varied in color, wilh a white streak along the 

 back. 



Again, the Devonshire cattle were recommended 

 to their attention, with the bright red color, and 

 ring round the eye, fine bone, and clean in neck, 

 thin faceil, and fine in chops, thin skinned, silky 

 in handling, and fine modeU for tho yoke. Again, 

 they(!*yere led to view the Galloway hornless breed 

 — broad on the back and Uiins, with hooked bones, 

 projecting knobs, with bodies beauiit'ully routnieil^ 

 deep in chest, and short in leg — and clean in the 

 chop and neck — with heavy (!ye-brows, calm and 

 <letern)iued look. Thus they moved on, receiving 

 every where the kindest attentions and most oblig- 

 ing hospitality ; and having seen and weighed the 

 ■" points" of rival breeds, they could not hesitate 



in giving their preference to the Short Horned 

 Breed, to which we have alluded as coming under 

 our personal observation. These are sometimes 

 called the Dutch breed, and are known in Eng- 

 land by a great variety of names, according to the 

 districts where they are raised, such as Holder- 

 ness, the Teeswaler,, the Yorkshire, Durham, 

 Northumberland, &c. The Teeswater raised in 

 the vale of York on the river Tees, are held in the 

 highest estimation, and are the true short-horned 

 breed. Bulls and cows of this stock, purchased ( 

 at great prices, are s|)read through the North of 

 England, and the border counties of Scotland — 

 and of this breed is the present importation. We 

 have never seen so fine hone, head and neck as 

 these cattle present — the hide is thin, chin full, 

 loin broad, and the body throughout well propor- 

 tioned and comely ; theiiesh of which is said to lie 

 equal or superior to any other breed. The cows 

 are remarkable for yielding a large quantity of 

 milk, not unfrequenlly 24 quarts in 2 4 hours, dur- 

 ing the grass season, and sufficient fin- making no 

 less than three firkins of butter during the summer. 

 This breed was deemed in many respects best 

 adapted to American soil. The growth is quite 

 equal, if not superior to any other breed; their 

 great weight of edible flesh in proportion to bone 

 and coarse flesh — the facility with which they 

 can be fattened at any age, and to almost any ex- 

 tent, besides being considered the best milkers in 

 England — seemed to give them n decided prefer- 

 ence over all others. Purchases were according- 

 ly made from the finest specimens, without refer- 

 ence to cost — giving as high as £170 sterling for 

 a bull calf of ten months old, and 150 guineas for 

 a yearling heifer. Eleven were embarked for 

 Philadelphia, in the shij) Alleghany, and the re- 

 maining nine under charge of tlie agent in person, 

 were put on board the ship Portsmouth, which on 

 the 4th of June sailed for this city. Having two 

 hundred steerage passengers on board, the Captain 

 with the view of avoiding sickness on his passage, 

 took what may be called a nnrlhcrly track, and al- 

 ter n)uch Buffering and encountering some heavy 

 blows and rough weather, arrived in this city and 

 landed the animals in fine condition, on the 26th 

 of July, the other division having previously reach- 

 ed New Y'ork in safety. 



Great care is observed in England by the breed- 

 ers of fine cattle to preserve the blood untainted 

 and unmixed. They have their regular Herd 

 Book, by means of which they can trace the ge- 

 nealogy of their animals almost as far back, from 

 sire to sire, as the aristocratic sportsman his stud 

 of racers, or as a sprig of nobility would recount 

 the names and genealogy of the ancestry of which 

 he boasted. 



The two bulls which arrived here were three 

 years old, and were by far the noblest animals of 

 the species that we saw. They were ten or 

 twelve feet long — not' measuring tho tails — and 

 fourteen or fifteen hands high — very large, and of 

 beautiful form and proportion. One of them 

 weighed 2,114 lbs. and the other upwards of 

 2,000 lbs. The heifers were also all of very re- 

 markable size fiir their ages. The two years old 

 were larger than our connnon full grown cows. 

 Ohio has already become distinguished for the en- 

 terprise of her herdsmen, and her <lairies are pro- 

 ducing rich returns. But if she fills her luxuriant 

 ]n-airics and her rich vallies with cattle like these 

 the agriculturists of other states must needs soon 

 bestir tliemsolves, or they will be left far in the 



rear by the noble spirit of western competition. 

 Mr. Renick being anxious to proceed with his 

 valuable charge, remained hut a few days in this 

 city. Many repaired, however, to see his fine 

 cattle, and liberal advances were offered on cost. 

 Five hun(lred dollars were proffered for a bull 

 calf only a few njontlis old ; but the Company 

 having higher objects in view than immediate 

 gain were not disposed to sell them. We wish 

 .Mr. K. a safe arrival at the great valley of the Scioto 

 It has been said that he who n)akes two blades of 

 grass grow on the spot that had only produced 

 one, is a greater benefactor of the Ijiimn]) race that 

 the whole herd of i)oliticians put together. Witl 

 equal justice n]ay the compliment be paid by thf 

 people of the West, to the authors of .this enter- 

 [)rise. i 



From the Southern Planter. 

 BOILED POOD JPOR CATTLE. 



IIavi.vg for some years turned my attention ti 

 the most economical and profitable mode of fat 

 tening cattle, and es|)ecially hogs, I have fonni 

 that preparing their food by the process of boilin 

 is unquestionably the greatest improvement tha 

 has yet been discovered — a slight fermentation fol 

 lowing previously to feeding it away, as certain! 

 adds to the capacity of Ibod fi)r affording nutritioi 

 And I have also farther fiilly ascertained, that th 

 nutritive qualities of matiy species of food can ci?i/ 

 be obtained by boiling, and in many others is onl 

 fidly developed, or prepared for the action of th 

 stomach by that jjrocess. 



The Iriih Potato furnishes a case in point < 

 the first kind, and the apple of the last. It is e; 

 tremely rare that you will find a hog that will e: 

 a raw Irish potato, but put it throug-h a citlinat 

 process andit is rare to find one that will refus 

 theiu. 



Boil the applc!, let them get cold, and feed thei 

 to hogs, ami you double their capacity for produi 

 iug flesh. 



But sir, the result of fairly conducted exper 

 ment has equally convinced me that the inixir 

 of ilifterent kinds of fooil, adds prodigiously to ll 

 ca[)acity of the different materials ibr aflbrding ni 

 trition, from the effect of combination. The ii 

 crease of the quantity of food, as well as the add 

 tion to its nutritive quality, by the simple absor] 

 tion of water in the act of boiling, is familiar to i 

 well-informed persons. But I am assured thattl 

 fomii"naf!on of difterent materials, produces a grec 

 er mass of nutritive matter, than the whole cou 

 separately yield ; and that to find out the art 

 mixing food, along with the best mode of pre pa i 

 iiig it for the action of the stomach, is the gre 

 art of feeding economically, and I believe to s 

 cure animal flesh, liealth, and vigor. 



The well-known eflect of boiling cotton seed at 

 turnips, and feeding them together to fatten bt 

 cattle, exhibits a conclusive proof of the last po 

 tion, I thiidc — no preparation is known to fatt 

 more rapidly ; the late improved mode of keepi 

 up in flesh working horses in England, by the a 

 mixture of food, may be cited as a corroborati 

 proof in point. It is now I think rendered cerli 

 that the combination of two articles of food, pi 

 duces a new nutritive matter, more eflectual ih 

 either could separately, or than could be prodt 

 ed from the nutritive matter contained in each 1 

 separately. Boil Irish potatoes, pumpkins and ( 

 pics ; combine them by mashing together, a 

 add a little salt and it will be found most i 



